ABC’s Wants Roberto Martinez as ‘The Bachelor’, Report Says
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 09: TV personality Roberto Martinez attends the Reality Rocks Expo Fan Awards at the Los Angeles Convention Center on April 9, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images for Reality Rocks) (2011 Getty Images)
There is a new “Bachelor” in town ladies! And he is H-O-T!
Remember sexy Roberto Martínez from “The Bachelorette?” The one who ended up marrying Ali Fedotowsky? (They actually stayed together for 18 months) Life & Style is reporting that Martínez is getting his own show now and will be the next “Bachelor” looking for his queen, since he and Fedotowsky called off their engagement last November.
"They chose him because he's very likable," a source told Life & Style.“While Ali claimed the split was "100 percent mutual," the insider notes, "in the back of Roberto's mind, I'm sure there's some enjoyment in getting revenge on Ali."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The undisclosed source adds that "he's already signed the contract."
Despite all the single ladies, who now have hope of winning over Martínez’s heart, the 27-year-old hunk says he is not interested in having tons of women fighting for his love.
Shucks!
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Another source tells Us Weekly mag that the news about Mr. Hunk being the next “Bachelor” “is far from the truth.”
"They are asking him to be the next bachelor, but he has no interest as of right now," the source told US Weekly.
The back and forth with Martínez comes just weeks after the show was hit with a discrimination lawsuit.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Two African-American men, Nathaniel Claybrooks and Christopher Johnson, filed a federal lawsuit in Nashville against ABC and the popular shows "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette."
The lawsuit claims the shows engaged in patterns of racial discrimination because ethnic groups, including Latinos and African Americans, were blocked from having the chance to participate in leading roles.
While only Claybrooks and Johnson were named in the suit, it was filed on behalf of all people of color who’ve attempted to land “the role of the 'Bachelor' or 'Bachelorette' but [have] been denied the equal opportunity for selection on the basis of race.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The complaint goes on to say that after 10 years of being on the air, neither “The Bachelor” nor “The Bachelorette" has featured “a single person of color – whether African-American, Latino, Asian, or any other minority race or ethnicity — in the central role."
“In 16 seasons of 'The Bachelor' and seven seasons of 'The Bachelorette,' every person featured in the lead role on either show has been white.”
Martínez could be the first.